Poverty Penalties and Poverty Traps

Keyword search across all of the laws in the states. Subject-area tabs above allow you to narrow results. Click the advanced search for further refinement.

Every law can be saved to the Reform Builder  

See all poverty penalty and poverty trap policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide

Below are the poverty penalties and poverty traps that meet your search criteria. Many include a See related provisions prompt which searches our database for laws that may pertain to your result.

409 Results

Export results to Excel

State Statute Description/Statute Name Statutory language Type of poverty penalty or poverty trap Level of offense Mandatory
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 24-21-480 Payment as condition of suspended sentence Failure to comply with program requirements may result in a request to the court to revoke the suspended sentence. Condition or extension of supervision All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-356d Installment payment order.
(a) When a judgment is rendered against a natural person, the judgment creditor or judgment debtor may move the court for an order for installment payments in accordance with a
+ See more
money judgment. After hearing and consideration of the judgment debtor’s financial circumstances, the court may order installment payments reasonably calculated to facilitate payment of the judgment.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-399 Commitment of debtor for contempt.
Any judge before whom any such examination is ordered may commit the judgment debtor for contempt in case of his neglect or refusal to attend or be sworn at the
+ See more
examination or to answer any question put to him during the examination, and any such neglect or refusal, if the examination is ordered or had before a committee, may be by such committee reported to the judge by whom he was appointed, which judge may thereupon proceed for the contempt as fully as if the examination had been ordered or had before himself.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-164r Failure to pay or plead
(a) Any person charged with an infraction who fails to pay the fine and any additional fee imposed or send in his plea of not guilty by the answer date
+ See more
or wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court appearance date which may be required shall be guilty of a class C misdemeanor.(b) Any person charged with any violation specified in subsection (b) of section 51-164n who fails to pay the fine and any additional fee imposed or send in his plea of not guilty by the answer date or wilfully fails to appear for any scheduled court appearance date which may be required shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
Increased fine Misdemeanor No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22-3425(1) Commitment for failure to pay fine and costs
(1) When a defendant is adjudged to pay a fine and costs, the court may order him to be committed to the county jail until such fine and costs are
+ See more
paid or may make an order providing for the payment of such fines and costs in installments.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas K.S.A. Const. Bill of Rights § 16 Imprisonment for debt No person shall be imprisoned for debt, except in cases of fraud. Incarceration All Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22-3425(2) Commitment for failure to pay fine and costs
Any person confined in the county jail for failure to pay a fine or costs may be released by the court which imposed sentence, upon satisfactory proof that such person
+ See more
is unable to pay such fine and costs. A release under this section shall not discharge a person from his liability to pay the fine and costs adjudged against him, but they may thereafter be collected by execution as on judgments in civil cases.
Payment plan/installment plan All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-6604(j) Authorized dispositions; crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993
(j) This section shall not deprive the court of any authority conferred by any other Kansas statute to decree a forfeiture of property, suspend or cancel a license, remove a
+ See more
person from office or impose any other civil penalty as a result of conviction of crime.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-6604(j) Authorized dispositions; crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993
(j) This section shall not deprive the court of any authority conferred by any other Kansas statute to decree a forfeiture of property, suspend or cancel a license, remove a
+ See more
person from office or impose any other civil penalty as a result of conviction of crime.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-6604(f)(1) Authorized dispositions; crimes committed on or after July 1, 1993
(j) This section shall not deprive the court of any authority conferred by any other Kansas statute to decree a forfeiture of property, suspend or cancel a license, remove a
+ See more
person from office or impose any other civil penalty as a result of conviction of crime.
Property liens All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 21-6604(j) Authorized dispositions; crimes committed on or after July 1, 1994
(f)(1) When a new felony is committed while the offender is incarcerated and serving a sentence for a felony, or while the offender is on probation, assignment to a community
+ See more
correctional services program, parole, conditional release or postrelease supervision for a felony, a new sentence shall be imposed consecutively pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 21-6606, and amendments thereto, and the court may sentence the offender to imprisonment for the new conviction, even when the new crime of conviction otherwise presumes a nonprison sentence. In this event, imposition of a prison sentence for the new crime does not constitute a departure.
Condition or extension of supervision All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-208 Termination of remaining portion of deferred or suspended sentence--petition
When imposition of a sentence has been deferred or execution of a sentence has been suspended, the prosecutor or defendant may file a petition to terminate the time remaining on
+ See more
the sentence…The court may grant the petition if it finds that...the defendant has paid all restitution and court-ordered financial obligations in full.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-233 Fine or costs as condition on suspended or deferred sentence
(1) Whenever a defendant is sentenced to pay a fine or costs under 46-18-231 or 46-18-232 and the imposition or execution of the rest of the defendant's sentence is deferred
+ See more
or suspended, the court may make payment of the fine or costs a condition for probation. (2) A suspended or deferred sentence may not be revoked if the defendant defaults on the payment of the fine and the default is not attributable to an intentional refusal to obey the order of the court or a failure to make a good faith effort to make the payment.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-237 Garnishment--report by supervising authority
(1) If the department of corrections becomes aware that a person while incarcerated under the legal custody of the department of corrections or a person supervised by the department is
+ See more
entitled to receive money from any source, the person's supervising authority may prepare a report... (2) The supervising authority shall provide notice and a copy of the report to the office of victims services in the department of justice and the county attorney for the county in which the person was sentenced, either of whom may submit the report along with a petition for garnishment to the court that sentenced the person. The court may order garnishment of the person's money for the payment of restitution, child support, and per diem costs of incarceration owed by the person. Upon receipt of the petition, the court shall provide a copy of the report to the person, who has 15 days following receipt to file an objection. The court may hold a hearing to consider objections raised by the person. (3) Upon compliance with the provisions of subsections (1) and (2), the court shall determine the amount of restitution, child support, and repayment for per diem costs owed by the person. The court shall order, up to the amount of money available, payment of an amount equal to the restitution owed by the person to the person designated under 46-18-245 to supervise the making of restitution payments, any outstanding child support payments to the department of public health and human services for disbursement to the obligee, and per diem costs owed by the person. All restitution owed by the person must be paid prior to payment of any child support payments. All child support owed by the person must be paid prior to the payment of any per diem costs.
Wage/bank account garnishment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-201(3) Sentences that may be imposed
(a) Whenever a person has been found guilty of an offense upon a verdict of guilty or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, a sentencing judge may impose a
+ See more
sentence that may include: (i) a fine as provided by law for the offense; (ii) payment of costs, as provided in 46-18-232, or payment of costs of assigned counsel as provided in 46-8-113... (b) A court may permit a part or all of a fine to be satisfied by a donation of food to a food bank program.
Community service All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-201(6) Sentences that may be imposed
In addition to any of the penalties, restrictions, or conditions imposed pursuant to subsections (1) through (5), the sentencing judge may include the suspension of the license or driving privilege
+ See more
of the person to be imposed upon the failure to comply with any penalty, restriction, or condition of the sentence. A suspension of the license or driving privilege of the person must be accomplished as provided in 61-5-214 through 61-5-217.
Driver's license suspension/impoundment All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-601 Judgment in writing--lien
(1) The judgment shall be reduced to writing and signed by the judge. (2) A judgment that the defendant pay a fine or costs constitutes a lien upon the real estate
+ See more
of the defendant, which lien dates from the date of the defendant's arrest.
Property liens All Yes
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New York N.Y. Judiciary Law § 753 Power of Courts to punish Civil Contempts
A. A court of record has power to punish, by fine and imprisonment, or either, a neglect or violation of duty, or other misconduct, by which a right or remedy
+ See more
of a party to a civil action or special proceeding, pending in the court may be defeated, impaired, impeded, or prejudiced, in any of the following cases: 3. A party to the action or special proceeding, an attorney, counsellor, or other person, for the non-payment of a sum of money, ordered or adjudged by the court to be paid, in a case where by law execution can not be awarded for the collection of such sum except as otherwise specifically provided by the civil practice law and rules; or for any other disobedience to a lawful mandate of the court.
Incarceration All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New York N.Y. Judiciary Law § 753 Power of Courts to punish Civil Contempts
A. A court of record has power to punish, by fine and imprisonment, or either, a neglect or violation of duty, or other misconduct, by which a right or remedy
+ See more
of a party to a civil action or special proceeding, pending in the court may be defeated, impaired, impeded, or prejudiced, in any of the following cases: 3. A party to the action or special proceeding, an attorney, counsellor, or other person, for the non-payment of a sum of money, ordered or adjudged by the court to be paid, in a case where by law execution can not be awarded for the collection of such sum except as otherwise specifically provided by the civil practice law and rules; or for any other disobedience to a lawful mandate of the court.
Increased fine All No
BS-+-Light-Rounded-Square
Add to Dashboard

+ Create New

New York N.Y. C.P.L.R. 5226 Installment Payment Order
Upon motion of the judgment creditor, upon notice to the judgment debtor, where it is shown that the judgment debtor is receiving or will receive money from any source, or
+ See more
is attempting to impede the judgment creditor by rendering services without adequate compensation, the court shall order that the judgment debtor make specified installment payments to the judgment creditor.
Payment plan/installment plan All Yes